Enter the Dinner Time

The first step is to select a dinner time. Go to the DinnerPlan sheet, and select a time from the drop
down list in cell H2. The drop down list was created with Data
Validation, and the times are in a table on the Lists sheet.

Add List Items (Optional)

There are meal items, time, cooking locations, and process lists, on the Lists sheet. You can add more items, if you need to. The lists are in named Excel tables, so they will expand automatically.

To add an item to one of the lists:

Click in the blank cell below the last item in that list.

Type the new item, and press Enter.

Click on any item in the list, and click the arrow in the list heading

Click Sort A toZ.

The Dinner Plan

Next, go to the DinnerPlan sheet, where you will enter all the preparation steps for each food
that you'll serve, with the time required for each step.

You'll enter items in the green cells (instructions below).

There are hidden columns (I:N) that contain formulas.

Enter the Meal Item Details

For each food item that is on your menu, enter all the preparation activities on the DinnerPlan sheet. Type in the green cells only-- the grey cells have formulas..

For example, there are 5 preparation steps for the Turkey -- prepare stuffing, stuff the turkey, cook the turkey, let the turkey stand a few minutes after cooking, and finally, carve the turkey.

It doesn't matter what order you enter the food items, because the list will be sorted later.

To enter the first activity, follow these steps:

Click in cell C9, click the drop down arrow, and select Turkey.

Press the Tab key, and in the Activity Number column, type 1

Press Tab, and in the Activity column, type Prepare Stuffing.

Press Tab, and in the Location column, click the drop down arrow, and select Stove

Press Tab, and in the Minutes column, type the estimated number of minutes that step will take -- 30 minutes in this example. NOTE: For longer tasks, you can type the number of hours instead, such as 4.25 hours to cook the turkey.

Move down to the next row, and repeat those steps, to enter the other 4 preparation steps for the turkey, and the other meal items.

Sort the List

After all the preparation activities have been entered, follow these steps to sort the timetable.